Tattletale becomes Cupid
by axleonex
Summary: Tattletale joins the Wards, and has far too much time on her hands. Follow her as she takes the time to match up various members of the Wards! Slice of Life comedy fanfic.
1. Chapter 1

Lisa rolled her eyes. Again, Victoria had broken up with Dean again, and they were doing that passive aggressive thing where they weren't talking, but clearly wanted to get back together asap. Lisa stood up from her desk, she'd spent most of her time in an office space ever since she'd joined the Wards. They didn't even want her in the field, even if her powers gave her better advantages seeing things through her own eyes. No. She was just in logistics, working with other thinkers online, figuring out the weak points of strategies and locations of criminals all across the country.

In the office, she was plain old Lisa. Sure, her cape name was Insight, but it wasn't like she used it often. More often, she'd go out of her way prod a reaction from the Wards to get an entertaining reaction. She walked over to Victoria. "Bad break up?" Lisa said, giving a fake sympathetic frown as she stared at her.

Victoria was sitting on the lounge sofa, a bit distant and overthinking the fight she'd gotten into with Dean. _Why do people over complicate relationships?_ Lisa thought to herself. Already, her powers were telling her tiniest details of what had gone wrong in Victoria's love life. Victoria looked over at Lisa, and gave a small glare. "Not now," Victoria groaned, "can't you bother someone else?"

Lisa couldn't blame her attitude, after all, she had gone out of her way to knock Victoria down a peg. She _liked_ pissing off Victoria. Maybe it was the prestigious attitude, or her presumptuous high moral stance she always tried taking, but Lisa always felt the need to criticize Victoria in the most irking ways. But now, that didn't matter. Lisa wanted to help. "Listen, Victoria. I know I'm not an expert on relationships, but blaming Dean for all the issues isn't going to work forever. You and him break up almost every other week. There's something more going on between you two, and it needs to be fixed before the next problem occurs."

Lisa took a seat next to Victoria. She continued, "you both fought, _that's normal_. But breaking up every time an argument pops up isn't a way to argue. Could you imagine if a married couple divorced and got back together again and again, the same way you two do?"

"Well what the hell am I supposed to do?" Victoria yelled, "it's not my fault he's such an idiot."

"Look," Lisa said, doing her best not to deflect a criticism at her. "What I'm saying is, learn how to argue without the breakup. And most importantly, try seeing things from his perspective, while better explaining yourself in a way he can understand."

"I did explain myself!" Victoria flung her hands in the air, "that idiot insulted me!"

"He didn't know it was an insult," Lisa deduced.

"How could he not know?"

"Because he can't read minds like I do... And boys are stupid."

That made Victoria chuckle. "I just," she sighed, "want him to understand."

"Here," Lisa said, "I have a few communication tricks that might help him better understand what you're feeling. But I want you to remember something Victoria, the same way you want him to understand you, you have to go an extra effort to try and understand him. Can you do that for me?"

Victoria nodded.

"Alright, step number one, use 'I', and not 'you'. Talk in first person perspective, and never assume the other person's emotion. That's presumption, and makes them feel less inclined to listen."

Victoria thought about that, and realized she'd belittled Dean with more than a few sentences with their last argument.

"Two, don't parrot the opinions of others to him, and especially don't let him know who said it. Relationships are private, and that added pressure leads to mental exhaustion."

Another mistake Victoria had done. She'd echoed some of Amy's criticism of him, into his face. Another level of guilt fell unto her.

"Three, convey yourself. Remember how I said guys are stupid? Guys are stupid, but they're also understanding when the problem is explained to them, especially when its someone they truly care about."

Victoria rubbed at her cheeks, that last sentence hit a hammered nail. She was such a jerk to him, and he didn't deserve the harsh words she'd given him.

"Now," Lisa said leaning back, proud to defuse the situation. "I'd like to talk about you."

 _Here it comes,_ Victoria said to herself, embracing herself for criticism.

"First, he didn't know the stuff animal he showed you wasn't cute. He thought it was funny. And when he said you looked like an Aardvark stuffed animal, he was calling you cute, he didn't mean to call your face weird."

"Well, yeah, but he still-"

"No," Lisa shook her head. "Here's the _real_ problem, you're assuming everyone thinks like you, but that's not the case. You're a smart girl with good principals, but not everyone thinks identically. So what he meant as a compliment, you took as an insult. And that's the problem with all of your breakups, you see from your perspective, but never consider that it's not wrong from anther's perspective. So if you want to avoid another break up over nothing, and actually have a chance in a _serious_ relationship with Dean, you'll have to stop seeing things from your own mindset, and properly ask him to convey what he means. Remember, communication, and staying calm, is the only way a relationship can truly last."

Victoria rubbed at her eyelids. It was a repetitive cycle, she and Dean almost always fought under the same circumstance. Miscommunication, and then Dean returning to her to explain what he meant. She sighed at herself.

"Speak of the devil," Lisa pointed backwards, and Dean entered the hall. "Listen," Dean said, hoping Victoria had calmed down. "I just wanted to say-"

Victoria jumped at him and hugged him tightly. "I'm sorry," she interrupted, "I'm an idiot. I'll think before I talk."

Completely in shock, Dean looked over to Lisa. Lisa tossed at peace sign at the both of them. She smiled and said, "call me by my other cape name. Cupid."


	2. Chapter 2

Lisa looked over to Missy. Missy cocked her head away from Lisa. She placed her head down, pretending to do the tiny amount of homework she had.

 _Glaring_

Lisa looked over to Dean and Victoria. They were now sitting side by side to each other on the sofa, watching a movie together and smiling like they were alone. The office space Lisa had to herself was a cubicle, a cubicle by her own request. She liked standing out from the rest, letting the world know what a great thinker she was. Of course, the Ward main work room consisted of smaller desks for everyone. The large tv screen was attached at the center of the room, which was typically used to call meetings from Director Piggot. Missy was shifting gazes between Dean and Victoria together, and Lisa. Like _she_ was the reason their grotesque relationship was working out. Which was kind of true, Lisa had to admit.

Lisa stood up from her desk. She walked over to Missy's work desk. "Hey Missy, I'm heading up to the xerox room. Wanna come with?" She pointed a thumb to Victoria and Dean's direction, she whispered, "they're grossing me out too."

A small chuckle escaped Missy's mouth. "Sure," she said, letting Lisa take the lead.

As the two of them left the main room and Lisa lead Missy to the stairway. "Listen," Lisa said to the young Ward. "I want you to know, I _get it_ , Dean is attractive. He's cool, he's nice, he's smart. He's everything a girl wants in a guy. But I want to remind you something, the more time you spend fantasizing about him, the more bitter you'll become about what you realize you can't be with him."

Missy's eyes widened. "You... Read my mind! I told you not to read my mind!"

"I can't read minds," Lisa said with a sigh, "I just get answers from my powers, and I can't turn it off. Sorry if I invaded your privacy, but asking me to turn off my powers is like asking me to stop doing my hair."

Missy clenched her fists, "still, you shouldn't talk like you know everything. And don't tell me what to do!"

"Would you rather I let you stay angry at yourself, or help you out as a friend?"

Missy paused, "how could _you_ help?" Missy said it with a slight hiss, like Lisa were somehow her enemy.

"I can't get Gallent to fall in love with you." Lisa paused, _or can I? That would certainly make for an interesting challenge... No, wait, I'd rather not get on Victoria's bad side._ She continued, "but I can tell you something about Gallent that'll make him unattractive to you."

Missy looked away, "I honestly don't think that's possible."

Lisa smiled at the challenge. "Alright, like I said before, Dean is smart, nice, handsome, and everything a girl could want. And you especially, a thirteen year old girl with no experience in romance, would want your first boyfriend to be a guy like Dean." She needed to remind Missy that she was still young, but in the most non-belittling way possible. "Here's the problem, Missy. Dean is the type of person to treat a girl like a delicate flower. Hence the name, Gallent. Even with Victoria, he offers her a sense of security that no one else can offer. They complete each other. While Dean makes Victoria relax, Victoria makes Dean feel noble for making him feel manly. It also helps that he can't read her emotions, it adds a layer of mystery to her that he can't get from anyone else." A part of Lisa thought their power compatibility was wrong to factor into a relationship, but she didn't need to tell Missy that.

"Wait," Missy said, "their powers make them a better couple?"

"Kind of," Lisa said. "But that's not the driving factor. The driving factor is; Dean takes care of people. Its his principle. And the point I'm trying to drive home is; do you want to be taken care of? Do you want to be treated like damsel in distress? A princess? A girl that's a delicate flower that needs careful handling like a child would?"

The thought of that wanted to make Missy puke. The last thing she wanted was to being treated like a kid. "Maybe..." Now it was her irrationality talking. She loved Dean, or at least believed to love him. And a core being of her wanted to believe she was meant for him.

Lisa continued, "which brings me to my second point, Missy. You're the type of person to bring someone _out_ of their comfort zone, not into it. You'll never be a trophy or housewife, you're independent. Like an adult that's always excited for the next adventure. Whoever fall in love with you, will love you for your courage. The person who will be perfect for you will look at you like an idol. You'll drive the person who falls in love with you, not make them want to settle down. If you hooked up with Dean, you'd feel coddled to the point of suffocation. If you wait for the right person, you'll end up with someone that makes you feel stronger."

Missy stared at her for a minute, "but... I don't know anyone like that."

"Come high school, you're options will explode. The trick is to take a leap of faith with the options that _are_ available." Lisa pointed to her chest, "spoiler alert. Puberty will be great for you once you hit fifteen."

Missy laughed, not sure how serious Lisa was about that. Still, Missy wanted to hold onto hope that Dean was the right person for her. "But I don't want to wait... What if I miss my chance now?"

Lisa couldn't say _you have plenty of time._ As true as the statement was, Missy had heard that phrase so many times that she was desensitized from it. Instead, she had to shatter her perception of Dean. "Missy, I know every time Victoria and Dean break up, you become happy. Because you think there's hope for you and him. You talk to him when that happens, and he turns you away in a nice way."

Missy's face scrunched in shame.

"I'm not going to tell you it's wrong," Lisa comforted her. "I'm going to tell you, its bad for you. The more you hold onto this false hope, the more you're wasting your energy when it should be used on something else. Like something that'll make you truly happy."

"But..." _I love Dean,_ Missy wanted to say. But she was worried Lisa would prove that to be false.

"You love Dean." Lisa said, trying to hit the hammer. "But what you're mistaking for love is actually a crush. Crushes are when you like someone without knowing anything about them, Love is when you like someone after you know everything about them. Be honest with yourself Missy, do you know everything about Dean?"

 _Not even a little,_ Missy thought to herself. When she remembered Lisa could almost read her mind, she decided to air out her thoughts. "Not... A lot."

"And here's the problem," Lisa said. "Everything you don't know about Dean, you fill in your own false fantasizes about him. Like pouring gold to merge the cracks of a broken pot, you pretend what you don't know about him is perfect. In reality, he's as flawed as any other boy would be."

Missy swallowed. It was so true, _maybe this wasn't love?_ A thought suddenly occurred to Missy. "How do I know your not trying to get Dean for yourself?" She almost shouted at Lisa, "you just said he's perfect for everyone!"

Lisa sighed. "The type of person I'll want is someone I can't read the mind of. But since that doesn't happen, Dean strikes me as the typical boy scout who doesn't offer much room for expression. Long story short, he's not my type. And I'm not going to get Glory Girl to kill me for taking her boyfriend. So no need to worry about me in that department."

Missy... Actually hadn't thought about that. _What **would** Glory Girl do if one of us tried taking Dean? _Missy shuttered. Lisa mentioned, "Scary thought, amiright?"

Missy sighed. "It's just... I don't... Want to wait. I like him so much. I've never felt this way before, I don't want to lose the chance I have now."

Lisa placed a hand on her shoulder, "you're confusing fantasy from fact. You're filling in blanks with dreams you'd like to believe about him. Creating this perfect image of a guy when the perfection isn't real. I know I shouldn't do this, but... Can you keep a secret?"

Missy nodded.

Lisa took a deep breathe, "ask me anything about him. And I'll tell you why he's not perfect."

The following thirty minutes consisted of Missy asking questions about Dean. His likes, his quirks, his flaws, his habits. The more Lisa talked about Dean, the more Missy's perception of him dwindled a little. Not in the sense that she thought less of him, but more in the sense that they were incompatible.

"He doesn't like the same music I like?" Missy said.

"Nope," Lisa answered. "He also hates horror films. So you'll never get the chance to cuddle him during a jump scare scene, like you've always dreamed romantic couples should do."

Missy now sat on the stairway step with Lisa next to her. A part of her felt incredibly stupid, another part of her felt like she'd never find the perfect person in her life.

"No one's perfect," Lisa said. "It's more about compatibility. Two people are supposed to look at each other's differences to find strength at where comparability truly is. No one connects 100%, no matter what. When you have your first boyfriend, he won't be perfect. But right now, you need to accept that not everyone is flawless."

Missy took a deep breathe. "I'm..." Why did she feel like tearing up? It was like everything she'd worked for was shattered through a conversation. _Heartbreak,_ Lisa thought. Even if there was never anything there, Lisa knew this would hurt. She hugged Missy, "it's okay Missy. I promise you, without a doubt, you'll find someone to fall in love with. Be happy you have time, because when it comes to love, time is on your side."

Missy nodded her head, still crying as she fell into her hug. "Thank you, Lisa."

After another minute of holding her, Lisa let go. "I... Actually do have to print out papers. But I'm guessing you'd rather not go back to the love birds on your own right now... Want to head out to eat before the big conference?"

Missy nodded, "yeah, I'd like that."


	3. Chapter 3

Author's note: This Chapter is in Lisa's First Person Point of View

XXX

"Thank you very much!" I took the sugar coated donut out from the box. _Thank God for sweets._ It was like a drug rush, minus the drugs. _I swear, someday I'll convince one of the higher ups to buy me alcohol._

"No problem," Chris said with a smile. He was a sweet guy. Probably the nicest guy on the team. In fact, my powers told me he was the most honest guy on the team. Maybe it had something to do with his lack of confidence. I had helped Chris find his specialty when I first joined, but he still had a level of insecurity to himself that came from trying to live up to Hero's expectations.

I kind of melt whenever I take a bite from donuts. My shoulders relaxed, and I forgot where I was for a moment. Chris must've liked my reaction, because he blushed at the sight of seeing me smile.

When he left my cubicle, I sighed to myself. _No Chris, I don't like you that way. You're the most honest and nicest person here. But you seem more like a kid brother to me than a romantic love interest._ What was worse was that he took my acts of kindness as signs of affection. I was friendly to him, I liked his genuinity but I was hardened into not having a boyfriend. And even though I liked that honesty whenever we spoke, he always thought about asking me out.

Nope. And only two things could stop that line of thinking. Either we could get some distance between us, which was impossible since we were on the same team, or to get him his own girlfriend. But since tinkers loved to bubble themselves, he solidly believed that I was the only girl that could remotely like him. His ADHD and dyscalculia made him insecure about himself, even though none of that would've gotten in the way if he at least _tried_ opening up his perspective. If he _tried_ believing he had a better chance with more people.

If he tried getting out of his comfort... Zone...

"Holy crap," I shouted out.

"You're gonna get diabetes," Dennis said from outside my cubicle. I rolled my eyes, _I'll match you up with someone later..._

XXX

After my hours were up, I sprinted to Dennis on his way home. I caught him just as he left school and headed on the broad walk home. "Yo," I said, punching him on the arm.

He was surprised to see me, "Lisa?" Dennis cocked his head to the side. "Following me home, I always knew you had that stalker feel to you."

I chuckled, "I need a huge favor from you. And if you help me out, I promise to get you laid."

Denni's mouth gaped open, "What?"

"I know who you have a crush on. I can get you a date with her, if you help me out with a friend."

Dennis blinked at me.

 _Oh yeah, I forgot he has a crush on me too._

"Sophia," I said.

"Oh..." Dennis took a minute to shake the surprise out. "Wait, what are you talking about?"

"Alright, you know how Chris has never had a girlfriend? I know someone he'll match up well with, problem is, he can't hear these words from me. I'm his crush, so he'll only think of me if I say them. And since I'm a girl, my opinion on romance is less relevant to him. You, however, are his closest friend on the team. A true bro. So you're the only one that can guide him down the road to romance. And that means, you taking advantage of your friendship, and parroting my words to him to get a girl he's really compatible with."

"And if I do this," Dennis let the words hang.

"I can get Sophia to... Find attraction in you." Albeit, it would be a one sided relationship, but those happen too. "Fair warning though, Sophia really is the type to enter an abusive relationship. If you're looking for a romantic relationship, she won't give it to you. If you're looking for that jockey relationship that looks good on paper, with a bunch of shit happening in the background, I can arrange that."

"I commend you for your honesty," Dennis replied.

"I like explaining fine print."

Dennis hummed to himself. He was considering the offer. Dennis _did_ have an attraction to Sophia, but it was strictly sexual. He was aware that Sophia would make a terrible girlfriend on a personal level, but he was a teenager, that hardly mattered to him.

"Alright," Dennis said. "But I'm doing this to help Chris, not for the date."

"Right, date with Sophia not included."

"Wait, what? No, I still want that."

"Pervert."

Dennis glared at me. I grinned, "okay, you help Chris get a girlfriend, and I'll throw in the date with Sophia as a bonus."

Dennis smiled, "you're evil, you know that?"

"You don't know the half of it," I stuck my tongue out.

"Alright, what did you have in mind?"

"Missy."

Dennis bursted out laughing, "you're kidding me right? She's in middle school."

"She's only two years younger than him," I said with a frown. "And believe me, in two years, guys will wish they'd asked her out sooner."

"I'm sorry, but I just don't see that happening."

I crossed my arms, "wanna bet?"

"What, the puberty thing or them being a good couple?"

"You're a perverted bastard."

"I also go by Clockblocker."

"Please... Please don't be a cockblocker, and help Chris out with this." I didn't have to beg, but Dennis did respond better to funny banter.

"Alright, alright... But you're gonna need to convince me first. Because no way am I matching them up for disaster to happen later."

"Alright," I smiled, "just the fact that they'd be each other's first girlfriend and boyfriend would mean they'd both see each other as perfect equals in a relationship. They're more likely to make it work for that fact alone."

"That really isn't a good enough reason."

"Also," I added, "you're forgetting the main gist of it. Both Chris and Missy are the most honest people on our team. Missy has a level of naivety that makes her completely trust people, Chris has that same level of naivety, coupled with honesty as a principle. On the off chance that they do break up, it would be absolutely mutual. And they're more likely than anyone else to remain friends if they broke up."

Dennis put his hands in his pocket, "okay, you've got a point there."

"Think about the core of it, Missy wants to be with someone she respects, and Chris wants to be with someone who motivates him. Do you see anyone else they're better off with?"

"I sure can." Dennis answered, knowing plenty of good people for each of them.

"What about capes that fit that category? Fun fact Dennis, they'd both rather date with capes due to their fatalistic attitudes."

Dennis raised an eyebrow, "well that's dumb. That's like saying I should only date people living on the same street as me."

I shrugged, "maybe, but I know for a fact they'll grow out of that with time. In the meantime, they'll only give each other a chance."

Dennis looked to the side, signalling that he was seriously considering it. At the same time, it was ironic. Because Chris had confided in Dennis that he had a crush on Lisa. Dennis knew exactly why Lisa was doing this.

"Alright," Dennis said, "what do you need from me?"

 _Finally,_ I grinned. "I just need you to do one thing. Tell Chris that Missy likes him, tell him you heard it from me, and that's it. Improvise the gaps, and I'll take care of the rest."


	4. Chapter 4

Missy walked towards Chris's desk. She handed him a small stack of papers while Lisa observed them from her cubicle. "Hey Chris," Missy said with an innocent smile.

Chris shot his head up at the sound of her voice. His eyes widened like he had reason to be afraid of her. "H-hey... Missy."

"Here are those papers you gave to Piggot yesterday, it looks like you had some spelling mistakes."

Chris gulped, and snatched the papers from her hand. Missy glanced down at his desk, noticing the sketches Chris was drawing up. "I like how you found your specialty now, remember how I used to always throw ideas at you? It looks like you won't need my help anymore."

"Don't say that!" Chris said in a high pitched voice, "of course I need you!"

Missy tilted her head, "really?"

"Yeah, that doesn't mean I don't need you around anymore!"

Missy gave him an innocent smile. "Really?"

Chris shook his head again, mimicking a bobblehead. "Yeah, in fact, um... Missy, do you want to-" Chris froze mid sentence. Doubt hit him like a ton of bricks, and instead of asking her to meet with him off duty, he said, "hand my papers to Piggot after I'm done?"

"Goddamnit man," Lisa yelled across from her cubicle. Chris and Missy stared at Lisa's office space. Lisa said, "sorry about that, internet troll is pissing me off." She typed at random keys on her keyboard to try and sell the lie.

Missy turned back to Chris, "sure thing, Chris."

Missy didn't think twice at Chris's reddening face. Lisa made a mental note to be more direct.

XXX

Brian's mentorship was going well. In fact, most of the Protectorate members felt he was already ready to graduate. Given a few more months of time, his probation would be over and he'd gain the same liberties as the other Protectorate members had. Maybe he'd failed a villain, and he never thought of himself as a true hero, but with the Protectorate assuring him a good home for his sister, none of that mattered to him.

Brian stepped into the break room to take the jug of water he'd kept in the fridge. Colin's training was intense, but he preferred being pushed to his own limits. While most people agreed that Colin wasn't exactly sociable, none of that mattered in the training room. Brian was just a natural fighter, and there were even a few times where he'd impressed Colin when they sparred together outside of costume.

He drank his water while leaning back at the coffee counter. That's when Sophia stepped in. Brian hadn't changed out of his gym clothes yet, so Sophia had the privileged to intoxicate herself with the smell and sight of Brian's sweaty body.

"Hey Brian," Sophia said, deciding to lean close and next to Brian. Their arms touched, and she made sure to put on her best smile and posture for his pleasure. "I hope Colin didn't go too hard on you today."

"No, Colin is a good trainer." Brian said wiping his mouth of water. "I know most people can't relate to him, but when we're boxing together, that hardly matters."

"Still," Sophia wasn't subtle in her advances. She made sure to lean her body closer to him when she spoke, "you shouldn't be on probation anymore. All you did was rob a bank, those guys don't have to be pricks to you because of it."

Brian rolled his sore shoulders, "that hardly matters. Honestly though, I'd rather be here than the birdcage."

 _That makes two of us,_ Sophia almost said. "Still, you deserve a break from those guys. Do you have any plans after duty?"

"I still have curfew, Sophia. Besides, any time I get off, I'd rather spend that visiting my sister."

 _'Who gives a shit about that prick? Hello! Hot athlete standing next to you!'_ Sophia knew better than to insult his decisions. She rested the palm of her hand on his forearm, "I still can't believe you used to be a villain. You don't act like it, you're probably the nicest guy around here."

Brian smiled, flattered by the compliment. Before Sophia could peck a kiss on his cheek, Lisa walked into the break room.

 _'Oh fuck',_ Lisa thought, fully aware at what Sophia was doing. She shifted into a casual tone. "Hey Brian, long time no see."

"Hey Lisa." He greeted.

"Hey Lisa," Sophia said, moving herself closer to Brian. Sophia glared at Lisa for a mid-second, letting her know that she wasn't welcomed there.

Lisa walked closer to Brian. She took him by the hand to examine his knuckles, "Brian, you really have to gear up more. You'll get sore here if you don't cover up more."

"It gets in the way," Brian said chuckling. (A chuckle, which only made Sophia more attracted to him.) "I've pushed myself further, you know that better than anyone."

Lisa laughed, "yeah, you'd train for hours while I watched." Sophia gritted her teeth. Lisa asked, "really though, you've been long overdue for a break. How about you and I meet up off duty? We can eat together like we always used to."

"He's busy," Sophia answered for him. "He has better things to do."

Brian added, "honestly Lisa, I just haven't had time for that lately."

"I understand, but next time you go visit Aisha, can I come along? I need breaks from work too."

Sophia interrupted, "excuse me, but aren't you the reason the Undersiders got arrested?"

Lisa shrugged, "miscalculation on my part. We didn't expect all the Wards to show up at the bank robbery."

"Pretty stupid mistake, if you ask me."

The end of Lisa's mouth twitched, "right, says the girl that's still on probation after two years of therapy."

"You bitch."

"Stop," Brian said stepping away from Sophia's side, "both of you knock it off. We're all on the same boat, getting under each other's skin doesn't help anyone."

"How the hell can you still talk to her?" Sophia pointed at her, "she's the reason you got arrested."

"We have history together," Lisa said, placing a hand on Brian's shoulder. She winked at Sophia to imply a closer relationship. "Deep down, that comradarie doesn't go away."

"Fine, whatever," Sophia turned around, not willing to make herself look any worse. "I'll be on patrol if you need me."

 _Aaaaand... She might kill someone tonight. Yep, I'm definitely gonna pay for this later._

As soon as Sophia stepped out the break room, Brian turned to Lisa, "Lisa, what was-"

"She'd have you leashed if she had the chance. And not in the kink way."

Brian squinted at her. "What?"

"She's a manipulative liar, Brian. She was trying to seduce you so you'd go out with her. And she'd have you whipped and chained if you ever hooked up with her."

Brian rubbed at his forehead, "you're serious? That's why you were talking trash to her, to get her away from me?"

"She's a ticking time bomb." She needed to drive the point, "Sophia is narcissistic. She lies to everyone to get what she wants. She'd make you throw your own sister under the bus if it meant her having a chance with you."

"And you're assuming I'd let that happen?" Brian stared at her with a disappointing stare.

"No," Lisa said, lying to not damage their relationship. "It's just that Sophia is manipulative. She's lied to people before, gotten boys to break off friendships for her sake."

"So you really think that little of me?"

Lisa bit her lip, "you're not listening anymore."

"You don't have to take care of me." Brian spoke in a scolding tone. "It's not your job, and we might be friends, but you can't treat me like a child."

Lisa paused, wanting to make him understand, "you saw attraction in her, I saw that."

"A relationship is the last thing I need on my plate right now. And even if something did happen between me and her, I wouldn't let her take advantage of me."

"I was just trying to-"

"My personal life is my business," Brian interrupted. "And its not your job to watch over me like that."

Lisa scrunched her lips. She stayed quiet, knowing that Brian had shut himself down to her own personal logic.

"A few things," Brian said, "First, do you really doubt me that much?"

Lisa swallowed, "to be fair, I doubt everyone."

Brian ignored her reply. "Second; It's none of your business anyway."

Lisa's face contorted. "Alright, look," she rubbed the templates of her nose. "Maybe cockblocking her was stupid, but believe me when I say this; Sophia is psycho. A relationship with you and her would end in a train wreck. So can you at least... Take my word that she'll only cause you trouble?"

Brian let out a deep breathe. Lisa's powers gave her surprising answers:

 _Growing desire for affection_

"I'll take your word for it," Brian finally said. "Just promise me you won't try making decisions for me like that. I get that you're trying to help me out, but you can't decide who I should match up with. Alright?"

Lisa nodded. Inside her head, she was already deciding who she could match up with Brian.


	5. Chapter 5

Eric stared at the clock. Well, not necessarily stared, just eyed it enough without letting anyone notice. He'd learned how to be more subtle about his movements some time ago. An old snapshot of him staring at the clock made people the internet believe he hated poor people.

The current gallery event was organized, able to attract officials from across the state. High class officials that could spare a few hundred dollars for a ticket. They were there for the charity event, networking, and to view the artwork the gallery had to offer.

Sometimes Eric wondered if he'd enjoy art if he weren't forcefully dragged to these places. It was times like these, times when he didn't want to go to charity events, when he felt guilty for being a famous hero.

 _When was the last time I wore clothes I actually liked?_ Eric thought to himself as he looked down at his tuxedo. _Does blue hair make me stand out here?_

"It does."

Looking to his side, Eric saw Insight stepping next to him. The charity event had invited all the Wards, so he shouldn't have been surprised that Insight had attended as well. She was wearing a suit with her old domino mask, with a fedora covering her blonde hair. There were so many fedora jokes Eric wanted to say to her, but he held his tongue.

"You're a jerk, I like my fedora."

Eric curled his lips. He remembered that Insight could almost read minds.

"Stop thinking of fedora jokes."

He stayed quiet, blinking at her.

"You know what, scratch that. Just get it out of your system."

"Are you going for a fedorable look, or is that for fedoral defense?"

Insight's mouth flatlined, "yes."

"I'm glad you're working for the fedoration now."

She squinted, "are you proud of yourself?"

"You really missed the chance to call yourself, Fedora the explora."

"Argh," she smacked her forehead. "Okay, that's enough. Now my feelings are hurt."

"Just like a fedora master."

"Stahp."

Eric paused, and thought for a second. "Okay, I'm out now."

"Good, now I need you to be my second wingman."

"What?"

Insight turned to point at the gallery floor. Laserdream was near the building's window, giving her a background view of the city's heights behind her. She took photos with children as reporters praised her photogenic attitude.

"Her. I've got a friend I wanted her to meet. I have a feeling they'd hit it off well."

Eric rolled his eyes, he knew exactly what she meant and wanted to dismiss her as soon as possible."None of us have time for that, and neither of us like it when people try matching us up. It always ends bad and magazines loves ruining stuff like that for us."

Insight fully understood what he meant. With them have nigh celebrity status, relationships were nightmares for him and his sister, and they'd long given up taking relationships seriously. "First off, believe me, a relationship is exactly what Crystal right now. She revolves her life around PR, the least we could do is offer a form of escape for her."

Eric groaned, "look, if Crystal wants to date someone, that's up to her. I'm not going to go out of my way to help her get a boyfriend."

"Listen," Insight explained, "if this were normal circumstances, I wouldn't need your help. But as you can guess, this isn't. Crystal is preprogrammed to shun a potential relationship of every kind, so I need you to at least talk up the person I had in mind."

Eric shook his head, "I'd rather not."

Insight's lips shrunk, letting Eric see her frustration. Eric explained further. "We're public heroes. Everything we do is nit picked by the media twenty four seven. Relationships are the juiciest stories they'd take, and dating is a disaster for the both of us."

Insight sneered, offended like her intelligence had been challenged. "You think I don't know that? I know exactly what it's like to live with the world pressuring you to be perfect, but that mentality is the real problem. She's too dependent on what the world thinks of her, she needs someone that she be open with, to connect to on a fundamental level."

The side of Eric's mouth twitched, signalling that he was getting uncomfortable by her request. Insight read his body language:

 _The idea of his sister dating disgusts him._

She frowned, and yelled out, "Get over it man! She'll date people eventually!"

A group of high school girls looked over in Insight's direction. They were at a nearby dining table, wearing dresses, intrigued by the sight of Insight yelling at Shielder.

"Keep your voice down," Eric hushed her. "We're at an art gallery, you still have to be quiet."

Insight squinted. "I'm just asking that she give my friend a chance. I swear he's a good guy."

"Argh," Eric leaned his head back by the phrase, "every time someone says that, it's just so their friend can get the chance to date a superhero. Do you have any idea how annoying that gets?"

"But that's no big deal for the guy I have in mind. My guy is a superhero too."

Eric tilted his head. "He is? Who?"

"Um…"

"Dennis?"

"No."

"Chris?"

"No…"

Eric looked over to the reserved Wards table. Then he turned to where the Protectorate members were sitting next to it. "Rory?"

"No…."

He finally stared at Tenebrea, sitting next to Colin. "No…" Eric whispered.

"Yes…" Insight said reflecting his tone.

"But he's a villain!" Eric yelled. "I'm not helping that guy!"

Her powers checked out:

 _Overprotective towards his sister_

"Former villain," Insight yelled back. "And you're being judgmental!"

Before Eric could raise his voice back, more people turned to stare at the both of them. Eric remembered to lower his voice. "No," he simply replied. "It's a brother thing, you wouldn't understand."

Insight glared at him. She looked over at the crowd watching them. She yelled, "if you're gonna break up with me, you don't have to be a jerk about it!"

Eric's eyes widened. "What are you doing?"

She whispered, "help me. Or I make the internet implode with a shipping of us."

Eric turned to the now staring crowd. Teenagers were taking camara photos of him staring down at Insight. His palms were sweaty by the prospect of fake rumors getting spread around of him. "You… Can't be serious."

"Former villain," Insight reminded him. "I have no principal."

"But… You wouldn't… Right?"

Insight leaned closer to him and whispered in his ear, "I can either turn away crying, or this can look like a pleasant and meaningless conversation."

She stepped back. Eric wanted to shoot a shield at her. "You're a monster."

He was ready to reply yes, but Insight wasn't quite satisfied with just blackmailing him. "Come on, meet me at the balcony, I'll tell you why this is a good idea."

XXX

Lisa placed her domino mask and fedora on the balcony ledge. The upper floor balcony was off limits to visitors, with only PRT members stationed there to guard the entire floor. "For starters," Lisa said. "You and Crystal suffer through imposter syndrome."

"Imposter what?"

"Both of you think you're frauds. Like these charity events are just a ruse, and you're worried you'll someday be called out for attending them under false pretenses. In reality, that's nothing to be worried about. Everyone feels they're faking their lives to a certain degree, you're not any more fake than anyone else."

"There's a name for that?"

Lisa nodded. "You think that you go to these charity events mostly for publicity reasons. And you'd rather not go because it feels disingenuous, but you know it's still important for New Wave's image."

"Well.. Yeah, I mean.." She read him like a book, and he wasn't sure how he felt about that.

"Eric, you're fooling yourself. These events get huge donation jumps whenever your family's around. You are helping people by doing this, the publicity aspect is just a bonus." Eric never admitted it, but he always felt like a liar for helping the family image, like he was exploiting poverty for selfish gain.

Lisa continued, "the people that get help through here don't care why you're doing it. They're just glad it helps."

"Okay, okay" Eric said, slightly alleviated from the guilt. "Good to know that, but what was that you said about people faking it?"

"Imposter syndrome. It's more common than you think, and it's especially common among capes. You have to realize that everyone, not just you, is faking it. We're all improvising life and none of us truly know if our choices are right. You and Crystal aren't exceptions."

Eric thought about that for a moment. He was always camera shy, and Crystal had confided in him that she had a steep fear of failing the public. "Lisa," Eric still felt different. "My life is New Wave. It's my job to fake things."

"And that's the grand irony. If you stopped concerning yourself with what the world thought of you, the world would actually love you more."

Eric raised an eyebrow. Lisa patted his blue dyed hair, "I know why you dyed your hair blue. You wanted to stick out among New Wave, but wasn't sure how. Since you don't know how to express yourself, you decided to express yourself through a physical appearance."

"It matches my power," Eric argued.

"You want to stick out as an individual, but are afraid of what the world would think. So you do your best to be mister perfect, but you ironically come off as flat and boring."

Eric frowned. Not offended, just disappointed by how right she was. "The world is watching me, us, Lisa. I can't afford to look bad."

It was New Wave's idealism. Everyone in the group believed they existed to promote equality and fairness for parahumans everywhere. Eric, Crystal, and all the other members had an immense weight on their shoulders.

Lisa hardly cared for that. "The world doesn't want you to be perfect. If you stopped trying so hard to shield yourself, you'd come off as more honest to the world and to yourself. You'd actually look and feel more human. And humanity is exactly New Wave is all about."

Eric blinked at her. He'd never thought of it that way. "Um… Okay."

Lisa clasped her hands, returning to her real topic. "Now onto Crystal." With a grin, she was glad to connect to Eric. That was just a warm up. Her attempt to get Eric to trust Lisa more for what she was about to say next. "Crystal doesn't need a boyfriend. No one does, really. What I don't like is that she avoids the scenario because she's afraid of the social repercussions. She's controlled by the world around her, instead of her own personal preferences."

Eric nodded, the feeling was mutual. "But Tenebrea?" Eric commented. "Why him?"

"His name is Brian," Lisa said, making him feel more normal to Eric.

"But still, he's a former villain. How could he be good person?" Lisa blinked at him. She didn't need powers to know how judgmental he was. If anything, he was like everyone else, preprogrammed to have a negative portrayal of all villains everywhere.

After a long pause with letting the silence sink in, Eric remembered who he was talking to. "Um…. I didn't mean-"

"No, no. It's fine. I understand."

"I'm sorry, I didn't-"

"No problem, I don't get offended easily."

"Lisa-"

"Back to the subject." In all honesty, Lisa wasn't offended. In fact, she was glad to have the chance to make Eric feel guilty, giving her more emotional leverage over his influence. "Brian," she stressed the name again. "Is a good person. He's respectable in every way. Never treats anyone poorly, and is family centric like Crystal is. The only reason he was a villain was to help his sister, the same way Crystal goes out of her way to make sure you're alright."

Eric winced, able to relate to that familial value. "Still, it sounds to me like you're forcing the idea onto them."

"I'm not forcing anything," Lisa reiterated, "I only need one thing from you, tell her Brian isn't as bad a person as you both think. I'll introduce them to each other, and from there, we'd let fate take its course."

Eric rubbed at his forehead. It wasn't… Technically a match up. Just giving someone a good impression. And Lisa seemed like a good enough person to him, he didn't have any real reason to distrust her. "Okay, okay, fine. I'll only tell her that; you, Brian, and the other Undersiders aren't that bad, but-"

"Don't mention Rachel and Alec," Lisa interrupted. "I'll admit they're not exactly team friendly, so just leave them out of this."

Eric breathed out again, "Okay, fine. Just… Don't push anything onto her, alright? She really doesn't need that pressure." Lisa nodded, happy to find an agreement. Eric asked again, "Are you sure Brian isn't a jerk?"

"Positive, he's a very understanding person. He's also very keen to the idea of reputation, so he'd know to respect Crystal for her career dedication. He respects people, it's how he's gained the respect of everyone around him."

Eric crossed his arms, "sounds to me like you should go out with him."

Lisa raised an eyebrow, "Brian and I… Respect each other too much. We've known each other for two years, the last thing we'd want is to ruin that bond through an unfair relationship."

"Why would that be unfair?" Eric asked, genuinely intrigued.

I'm asexual, he's not. That doesn't last long. Of course, Lisa wasn't going to be that open with Eric, so she answered, "we treat each other like family. We've been at each other's side for too long, it'd be weird if we got into a meaningless relationship."

"Okay, okay. I'm just finding it weird how you're trying to match up half the people around you."

Lisa shrugged, "I like manipulating people."

"Like an evil mastermind."

"Bingo."

XXX

A reporter took a picture of Insight and Eric returning from the top floor. Eric sighed, aware that the rumors were now be inevitable.

Insight raised an eyebrow looking over at Eric:

 _Aromantic due to social pressure_

She smiled. Insight knew what to say to get him out of this mentality, but she didn't want to risk the opportunity of losing a genuinely platonic friend. She said to him, "relax Eric, you have tough skin. You know better than to over think what they have to say about you."

"I know, it's just really annoying." Eric admitted. "When I got my powers, my parents asked me if I'd have rather joined the Wards… I didn't know that bad press could make me so paranoid."

Another reporter walked closer to them, before the woman in the suit could ask them the awkward question, Insight answered. "No, we are not going out. We're teammates and we respect each other like coworkers would. So I suggest you write about heroic values instead of the celebrity gossip. Because unlike you, we don't mix personal affairs with work affairs."

The reporter, a red haired woman in her late twenties, stared at Insight. Before she could ask a self-incriminating question, Insight added, "because I'm sure your husband wouldn't be interested in knowing all of your own extramarital affairs."

The reporter's mouth gaped open, "how…Did you..."

"I can read minds."

The reporter swallowed, and turned away before saying anything worse. Eric bursted out laughing. "Okay, now I'm glad you joined the Wards."


	6. Chapter 6

Alec floated the PRT agent in front of him. She took slow steps forward on the treadmill as Alec made walking movements in place next to her. "I'm… Walking again."

She looked like she was about to cry. Alec rolled her eyes, "I told you you could do it. It's all mental, you just have to want it if you want to get back on your feet again."

Alec controlled her hand to turn off the treadmill, and moved her off to sit back on the wheelchair. "That's just session one," Alec explained, "recovery normally takes a few years, but with me, it'll take a few months. The sooner we can schedule a session, the faster."

"Thank you," the injured PRT woman said, tears formed at the edge of her eyes.

"Yup, you owe me big time. So next time I need a beer, I'll let you pick it up for me." The supervising PRT officer fired a glare at Alec. Alec waved his hand at him, "I said, IF I EVER WANT TO GET DRUNK. I'M GOING TO STEAL YOUR BODY AND BUY BOOZE WITH IT."

"He's kidding," the parole officer said to her, "we've been watching him for weeks now, and everyone he's having sessions with. He hasn't taken advantage of any of the patients."

"You guys gotta lighten up, and I do mean while sober."

The officer facepalmed his forehead, as cooperative as Alec had been, he never stopped making empty threats to push their buttons. As much of an asset Alec was, why did he have to be such an asshole?

XXX

Alec took a soda can from the fridge. The breakroom was quiet, most of his team was out, which meant he had the base kind of to himself. Eric stepped in. He turned his head around to scan the room, and asked, "have you seen Lisa?"

He raised an eyebrow, "why? Is this a booty call?"

Eric squinted at Alec. When he'd first met Alec, he seemed like a generally likable person, but that likability quickly tarnished when Alec asked him for help to hook up with Crystal.

"I just needed to ask her something." Eric answered.

Alec kept his eyebrow raise, "you know she might be gay, right?"

"For fuck's sake man, I'm not interested in her!"

"Are… You gay?"

"Goddamnit no."

Alec stared at him for another moment. "I don't like how you said it like it was a bad thing."

"I'm not gay," Eric yelled, "not that there's anything wrong with being gay."

"Why are you being so defensive now?"

"I'm not being defensive!"

There was a long pause. Alec replied, "okay..."

Silence filled the room again. Eric asked, "seriously, have you seen her though?"

"No, they've been keeping us all separated half the time. Lisa doing logistics things in her cubicle, Brian on the field, me doing therapy, and Bitch training dogs at who knows where."

Eric sighed, genuinely disappointed. Alec asked, "um… So... How's she been?"

"Why are you asking that?"

"Because we used to be teammates," Alec groaned, "things have been boring as hell since we were put on probation. Yeah, I get a shit ton of money, but there's nothing to do when I'm under house arrest."

Eric chuckled. "Lisa's been fine, in fact, I think some of our teammates are starting to like her more. She's sort of been… Helping people around base."

"Helping people? Lisa? Smartass know it all Lisa? Why'd she do that?"

Eric shrugged, "I dunno, she's just been going out of her way to match up people."

Alec busted out laughing, "you have gotta be shitting me. Lisa is doing that?"

Eric nodded, "what's so funny?"

Alec asked, "alright, who has she hooked up so far."

Eric sighed, "she got Victoria and Gallant back together. Is kind of working on getting Chris a girlfriend."

"Lemme guess, Missy."

Eric cocked his head back, "how'd you know that?"

"Virgins always end up together."

Eric arched his eyebrows, "what?"

"Anyway," Alec said, "when you find her, tell her I'll help out in my own way."

XXX

Lisa stretched her arms as she headed back to base. Her probation was going well. In fact, all their probations had gone well. Calvert had really come through for them. The relaxed standards would've never gone through without his interference.

For Brian, his probation would end in six months, three if the next Endbringer attack went well. For Lisa, it would end in a year, but the restrictions would gradually reduce as long as she did the job well. And as a bonus, no one could deny her value.

As long as things continued smoothly, she and her friends would get off easy for being criminals.

There was a celebratory toast tonight, in light of missing homecoming. Wards could never go to school dances because of cape duties. So a few years ago, Wards began creating their own 'mini-dances' of the start of every new school year.

Wards, and other teenage capes like the ones from New Wave, would celebrate the start of a new year through a knock-off homecoming dance. Mini-banners and decorations would give it a school-like atmosphere. There would e a table full of food and drinks served at the PRT gymnasium, and even a playlist of music that all the team members agreed on. They'd dance, sing karaoke. And even though it was with less than a dozen people each year, it was still something Wards appreciated.

Thinking back, Lisa realized she'd never gone to a school dance before. She wasn't planning on attending, or even thought she'd be invited, but Victoria was damn intent on having her there. And since Crystal would be there too, Lisa decided to bring Brian along too for her own selfish desires...

 _First_ , Lisa thought to herself, _don't let people think I'm going 'with' Brian, that I only brought him along as a friend. Second, make sure crazy-face Sophia doesn't do anything stupid for the rest of the night._

Upon entering to the PRT training room, she noticed something morbidly wrong with the other Wards.

The gymnasium was dim, far too early in the day for the 'dance' to start. Light flashed across the floor with music was playing loudly, even though some the others hadn't arrived yet.

Lisa arrived early because she wanted to meet up with Crystal and Eric beforehand, but upon turning to the punch table, her eyes gloomed over what had happened.

"No…"

Alec was standing next to Crystal, with Crystal being oddly physically close to him. She leaned onto his side with an arm rubbing against his, as she obnoxiously laughed at Alec's shitty sense of humor.

And the rest of the table, the other Wards who'd showed up were unusual too. Dennis and Chris were making sluggish body movements, talking about bullcrap that was outside their character.

Her powers gave the last answer she wanted to hear:

 _Alec spiked the drinks_

Lisa whimpered, "but… We're on probation…"

XXX

A/N: I am contractually obligated to have drunk teenagers in every one of my fanfics.


	7. Chapter 7

Sophia and Alec drank beers on the building roof. It was nighttime, and it had become somewhat of a routine for them both to meetup when they weren't on duty. Alec figured out that as long as his ankle collar was within range of the PRT building, it wouldn't set off any alarms. Sophia had the time to hangout with him when she wasn't on duty.

As much as an asshole Alec was, at least he was _real_ with her. The other Wards were like babies to her. Living their lives in childish bubbles caring about melodrama she didn't give a shit about. Alec? He understood things, he laughed at bullshit and didn't give a shit about anyone.

Sophia liked that about him. "They're your teammates," Sophia said, "for a former villain, Lisa acts like a goodie two shoes. Is she a bitch to everyone, or just us?"

Alec answered, "if you ask me, it's because she can't get laid. Go your whole life not getting laid, and you'll become pissed off at everyone."

Sophia laughed. "Maybe that's why she's hooking people up, it's some sort of weird ass fetish."

Alec chuckled, "seriously though, don't take her talks seriously. She used to screw with me all the time, it's never personal."

 _She's a cockblocker,_ Sophia wanted to say. She replied, "I just wish I could get back at her. But since she's a fucking snitch there's nothing I could do to her."

"You think way too much. Face it, all your ideas of getting payback would get you sent to juvie."

Sophia didn't answer.

Alec continued. "See? That's the problem, instead of just pissing people off, have fun with it. If you wanna get back at Lisa, do it in a way that won't screw yourself over."

"You got any better ideas?" Sophia asked.

"Yup." Alec pointed to the pack of beer behind them, "homecoming is coming up, bring a few packs here, and I'll screw with her in ways you couldn't believe."

Sophia stared back at him with a grin. "Fine."

Alec placed a hand over her shoulder, "on one condition though, you'll have to go to homecoming with me."

Sophia sneered, "I'm not going to that fucking dance."

Alec smiled, "trust me, I'll make it worth it."

XXX

Alec poured the rest of his special treat into the punch, _I probably would've done this even if it wasn't for Lisa..._ Alec took a drink of the punch, "perfect."

Crystal walked up to Alec, "did you finish the mixing?"

"Yup," Alec replied. He passed a cup to her, which she chugged down quickly.

Crystal was exhausted, even though she didn't have to, she spent more energy than anyone else preparing for this little 'homecoming' the Wards were doing. She was doing most of the organizing work, and even put her own energy in doing the physical labor.

Alec could see why Lisa wanted to hook her up with Brian. They both _lead well,_ and could complement each other as equal partners.

 _But let's see who she chooses after tonight..._

Alec pointed to the banner, "you spelled homecoming with a u."

Crystal choked on her drink. She turned around to double check it, only to realize Alec was being an asshole. "Don't freak me out like that."

"Something something something, you need to chill… have some more punch."

Crystal sighed, and walked off while taking another glass of punch. She wasn't sure why she asked Alec for help, she figured since Eric had befriended Lisa and Brian, she might as well give the other probationary members a chance.

Crystal noticed Victoria enter the gymnasium, "Vicky," Crystal said with a smile, "could you help me fly these streamers?"

Victoria said, "you still haven't finished yet? I thought we were late."

"I told you it started two hours early because I knew you'd come late. Now come help me."

"Ah dammit…"

Victoria looked over to the punch table. Alec was setting up drinks for the rest of the Wards, and passed a cup to Missy who was also helping out. Missy smiled at Alec naively, thankful of the refreshment.

"Christ," Victoria said to Crystal, "you got Alec to work with you? You're a miracle worker, you know that?"

Crystal chuckled. "He volunteered, and believe me, with how busy I've been, I'm glad someone's helping out."

Victoria walked over to Alec's punch table, "you sure are enjoying yourself."

Alec sipped his punch cup, "why wouldn't I? I love lame dances just like everyone else."

Victoria raised an eyebrow.

"I'm being serious," Alec raised a cup to offer to Victoria. "This is way better than what the PRT has me doing."

"Fair enough." Victoria said, gesturing not to take the cup Alec offered her.

Alec asked, "so is Gallent coming? If not I'll steal you from him."

Victoria scoffed, "he'll be here later, he's just hung up on a business thing with his dad."

"If you ever get lonely, I'll buy you a drink."

"Shut it Alec."

XXX

Chris and Dennis arrived on time, Dennis wore some dress clothes, oddly nervous for the first time.

"Come on," Dennis said, "you look fine, and she already likes you."

Chris's palms felt sweaty, "geez, a few days ago I thought I was in love with Lisa, but now I'm getting weird over… Missy."

Dennis shrugged, he was surprised at how right Lisa was about him and Missy. It just took an idea of them together for Chris to rapidly form feelings towards her. Dennis said, "you're both already friends Chris, so as long as you treat her like that, she wouldn't say no."

"You think so?"

"I'm sure of it."

XXX

Carlos drank another cup of punch. Alec was insisting he test out his new formula. "You invited Sophia?" Carlos asked in a skeptical tone.

"Fuck yeah, why wouldn't I?" Alec said, putting more sugar in the punch bowl.

"It's just… She's…"

"A bitch?" Alec said.

"No, I wasn't gonna say it."

"Relax man, I don't give a fuck."

Carlo's mouth went crooked, "I honestly don't think anything bad about her, she just isn't a team player. I'm surprised she even said she'd come, Sophia seems like the type to think these dances are stupid."

"This dance is stupid," Alec emphasized. "The trick is to invite her in a non-serious way. Honestly, you guys try too hard to get her to like you. Just give her space, and be there when she needs you."

Carlos did recall the times he encouraged his teammates to be nice to her. "It's just, we're in this together, I just want her to-"

"I'm gonna stop you right there," Alec said. "That's the problem, you try so hard to get this team together like we're the justice friends, why can't you treat her like a coworker? Back when I was with the Undersiders, we were friends, but we were stuck together because of our situations. She's the same way. Sophia here because she has to be, don't make it more than it has to be."

Carlos fell quiet. Was he trying to hard? Alec offered him another drink, which he chugged down.

XXX

 **Present** :

Glaring at Alec, Lisa ran up to the punch table and grabbed him by the shirt, "are you out of your fucking mind!?"

Before Alec could open his mouth, Chris and Dennis ran up to Lisa in a sluggish state. Dennis slurred out, "Lisa, it's time you choose, me or Chirs!"

Lisa squinted at them.

 _Low tolerance for alcohol._

"For the last time," she replied, "I don't like either of you."

Chris yelled out, "for fuck's sake Lisa, stop being gay!"

Dennis added, "and I don't give a fuck about Sophia, you're way better than that bitch!"

Lisa glared back at Alec again. He held his breathe to hold in his laughter. Lisa said, "Alec. We. Are. Fucked. Thanks to you, what the hell made you think this was a good idea?"

"Christ," Alec said, "you weren't even this pissed when we were arrested."

"Are you fucking listening to me?"

Victoria and Dean stepped into the gymnasium. She had returned after change into her homecoming dress, Dean walked next to her wearing his own formal wares. Amy walked behind them, glaring at Dean from behind.

Lisa's eyes shot up with a solution. She sprinted towards Amy and grabbed her by the shoulders. "Amy, I need you!"

Amy blinked at Lisa, and her face slowly became hot red as she stared into Lisa's eyes. She wondered if the rumors of Lisa being gay were true.

Lisa groaned, "Goddammit Amy, stop being gay for five seconds and listen to me!"

Victoria and Dean stared at the both of them. Victoria asked, "um, Lisa, is something going on?"

Lisa grabbed Amy by the hand and lead her out of the gymnasium, "we gotta talked, none of you drink the punch."

Dean looked over at the other Wards with Alec. When his powers saw the flurry of emotions around them, dawned on him what had happened, "oh shit."


	8. Chapter 8

**A few days ago**

Lisa leaned back on the sofa. She didn't say a word as Dr. Yamada sat quietly in front of her. Yamada occasionally sketched some doodles on her clipboard. She'd have written notes, but there were no secrets with Lisa around. There was also nothing more she had learned from the last two sessions.

 _Willful Isolation,_ Lisa remembered her writing. Nothing had changed since then, and while Yamad occasionally asked about how her new work conditions were, Lisa refused to indulge in the therapy sessions the PRT required from her.

"How was the asylum?" Lisa asked.

"Same old work," the doctor said. "After enough repetition, the work becomes second nature."

"Question, you know how people start whistling when they work on autopilot? Do you ever whistle at the asylum?"

She couldn't help but laugh, "No, Lisa, I guess I just haven't reached that point yet."

"Right," Lisa waved her hand off, "probably because you're always scared you'll die each you visit there."

Yamada didn't waver by the comment. This was a regularity for them, whenever they were forced in the same room, Lisa went out of her way to make the therapist feel uncomfortable. "Maybe... Have you heard of the story of Damocle's sword?"

Lisa shook her head.

"It's a moral question the greeks created. If you know there are invisible swords hovering over your head everyday, and they can fall at anytime without knowing, how long before you forget that the invisible blades are even there? How long, before the constant threat of dying becomes a normality?"

Lisa waved her hand, "beats me. Sounds to me like you started ignoring them way before you got into this cape counseling career."

There it was again. Lisa implying that Yamada was somehow 'broken' long before she started working. Both Yamada and Lisa knew Lisa had a superiority ego, but unlike Lisa, Yamada's intelligence drew from altruism, not insecurity.

 _I'm not insecure,_ Lisa wanted to say. But she refused to enter the topic Yamada so clearly wanted to step into. Dr. Yamada answered, "maybe we all are, in a way. Before it was the Enbringers it was nuclear weapons. You told us you were forcefully working under Coil, maybe you used to have your own Damocle's swords?"

"Not anymore," Lisa said. In an instance she regretted saying it. She just admitted that she _used_ to feel a certain way, and now Dr. Yamada knew it.

"Not anymore?" Dr. Yamada asked. "Even though you're on probation, there isn't any pressure from where you are right now?"

Lisa rolled her eyes, "Jessica, that's a leading question." Lisa only referred to her by her first name, forcefully solidifying their equal standing. "I get that you're trying to help me, and I think it's cute that you care, but I'm the last person on this team that needs help. Sophia's got a boatload of mental issues, not to mention the attachment issues Missy has. Seriously, talk to them, we're just wasting our time here, the least you can do is not put bad labels on things that aren't real problems."

Dr. Yamada tapped her pencil on her chin. Five minutes before the session would end, and once again, nothing was accomplished. Yamada shook her head. "Lisa, what I'm seeing from you is that your powers are causing you to have connection issues with the world around you. Knowing the underlying motives in everyone makes ingenuity seem rare for you, and it's caused you to shut yourself inward and away from people.

Intelligence is your form of pride because you worry you don't have more to offer, it's your trade off for to make up for everything that you lack. Lacking connection. And it's also inversely connected to the fact that you weren't smart enough to help your own family.

You live hiding these insecurities from people while avoiding seeing insecurities within yourself. Because what you might see scares you. That lack of trust, and the inability to feel connections, scares you. And this is all just you going out of your way to avoid admitting it."

Lisa stared at her for another minute. Five minutes suddenly felt longer to her. Lisa started looking at the clock, and forced herself to shut up for the rest of the minutes.

Jessica said, "Lisa, trust and genuinity comes in many forms. You know this better than anyone. And maybe you'll never find a friend you can completely trust, but that's not what relationships necessarily are. I'm going to recommend that you try, try seeing and observing the kinds of relationships people have, and then choosing what sort of relationships you like best."

The clock rang, and Lisa casually stepped out of the office. She waved as she left, "sure, whatever."

She returned to her work desk and let out a hefty sigh of relief. More work to distract herself, that was all she needed. Looking up, she noticed Victoria taking a hard sit on the lounge sofa. She was visibly angry, and Lisa's powers only confirmed the ridiculousness of the problem.

Lisa rolled her eyes, Victoria and Dean broke up again. She got up from her chair, and went to talk to her.

XXX

 **Present - Lisa POV**

Okay, so I might've fucked up. Back at the bank I said some pretty shitty things to Panacea when I was pressed to the wall with Glory Girl staring me down. It was… Mostly bullshit, but Amy hadn't let me live it down.

After joining the Wards I explained that I was lying, and of course Victoria got passed it faster than Amy did. I tried getting closer to her to makeup for it, but when I recommended her therapy, she just got pissed and hated me more.

 _Running away from problems,_ Goddamnit Yamaada, I'm yelling at you the next time we meet. I said to Amy, "drunk teenagers are binging special punch because Alec is a dumb ass. I need your help."

Amy rubbed at her forehead, "god, you villains are so screwed."

 _Swallow my pride, swallow my pride, swallow my pride._ "Says the one who needs therapy." _Fuck me._

Amy glared, "I'm fine, my family is fine, you're the one who can't control your own teammates."

Victoria ran through the hall and reached Amy, "Amy, Carlos spiked the punch, I need you to detox everyone tonight."

"Carlos?" I tilted my head. My powers filled in the gaps:

 _This has happened more than once_

I covered my eyes, "oh my fucking God."

Before Amy could answer, Victoria grabbed her by the hand to drag her away, "hurry, Crystal is cuddling with Alec and I don't think he knows she's drunk!"

I lifted a finger, but stopped myself from saying anything. Amy glared at me as they walked away. She mouthed the words 'you're not getting away with this', before they entered the gymnasium.


	9. Chapter 9

Author's note: I rewrote Chapter 9 because it felt a bit rushed. I'm extending this story a little longer.

XXX

Brian and Eric walked towards the gymnasium. They both wore dress shirts, Brian wasn't planning on coming but Eric sold it as a 'team building' opportunity for him. He insisted for Brian to come, which was strange to Brian, but also still a kind gesture.

"I have to ask," Eric said walking, "have you and Lisa ever gone out?"

Brian shook his head, "we both knew dating within the team could end in disaster. It was always clear neither of us wanted to risk that."

Eric nodded in agreement, "what about now? Would you or her date a teammate now? I'm guessing there's a lot less pressure as Ward instead of a villain."

Brian couldn't help but chuckle, "are you asking what I think about that, or what she would think about that?"

Eric raised an eyebrow, "um… Both?"

Brian thought back to Sophia. "For me personally, not at all. My life revolves around my career now, and I'm not going to put that at risk for the selfish enjoyment."

 _Sounds a lot like Crystal,_ Eric thought to himself. Brian asked, "be honest though, do you just want to know if Lisa would go out with you?"

Eric's eyes widened. Eric was only asking these things to check if Brian was good person. He didn't want Brian to think he was being 'vetted' for what Lisa was hoping from him and Crystal. Eric mumbled, "maybe…"

"Wow," Brian said with a low whistle, "I did not expect that."

He was already drawing his own conclusions, "no, I mean-, I was just wondering."

"Of course, of course" Brian said with a smile, "fair warning though, if you were thinking about asking her out, she probably realized that before you did."

Eric murmured, "I don't really think about it…"

Brian patted him on the shoulder, "just be honest around her and you'll be fine. She's never dated before, but you don't seem like a bad match for her."

Eric squinted. _I don't need him thinking that._ Eric feebly added, "Please don't tell anyone."

Brian chuckled again, "trust me, she probably already figured it out."

Entering the gymnasium doors, Eric and Brian looked across the gym and noticed something odd about the room. For starters, most of the Wards and New Wave weren't there, Eric was sure they'd arrived late. The decorations weren't complete, and it looked like they stopped getting added midway through the process. This was out of character for Crystal, since she was typically a perfectionist.

"Eric!" Crystal ran up to Eric and gave him a hug, Eric raised an eyebrow from the random gesture. She said, "I just got news from Alec, Lisa's totally into you. He said he'd lend you protection, but I let him know that your shields are strong enough."

Eric blinked at her, "what?"

Crystal was more oblivious to the innuendo than Eric was. She stumbled back a bit when she spoke to him. Her voice came off loud, with slight slurs to them, "I shaid, you need protection when you're around Lisa!"

Brian stared at her with his eyebrows scrunched. Most of what he knew from Crystal was from television appearance and professional interviews, she never seemed the type of person to talk this way. Crystal squinted over at Brian. She eyed at him like he was a predator, "for the record, I don't care what internet says, I am not fucking thirsty for you!"

Brian cocked his head back, Eric's mouth dropped. "Crystal, what the hell?"

She stared over at the ceiling lights, losing her attention of the both of them, "christ these lights are frigging bright."

Brian sniffed at the air, "wait, are you drunk?"

Crystal's head wobbled, "I'm drunk?"

Eric's eyes snapped at her, "what?"

"Nah nigga," she said in a casual tone, "I'm just having a good time." She gave a feeble punch to Brian's shoulder with a slurred laugh, almost like she was flaunting him for her camaraderie.

Brian said, "I'm gonna pretend you didn't just say that."

After she punched Brian's shoulder a few more times, she slouched her head sluggishly on Brian's shoulder. "God I'm lonely."

Alec walked up to the both of them, "hey Brian, hey Eric. Carlos spiked the drinks, and apparently Crystal is more repressed than I thought."

Alec offered them both cups of beer-punch. Eric glared at him, "what the hell have you been telling my sister?"

Alec answered, "everyone she wants to hear."

Eric headbutted Alec's head, causing him to fall back on the ground in pain. "Jesus Christ, can't you take a joke?"

"No," Brian said with his arms crossed, "you deserved that."

Alec rubbed at his forehead while speaking up to them from the ground, "you guys have to calm down. It's probably the only night we'll have with no supervision, a few drinks isn't a big deal."

Eric kneeled down and grabbed him from the shirt, "she's my damn sister, and you're screwing with her head, why the hell wouldn't I be pissed?"

Lisa, Victoria, Amy, and Gallant entered through the gymnasium doors. Victoria flew up to them first, "relax," Victoria said to Eric, "Amy will fix this."

"Lisa," Eric turned to her the moment she approached, "did you have anything to do with _that._ "

Eric pointed at Crystal, who was practically sleeping on Brian's shoulder. She was crying to herself, "I can't be drunk, I'm valedictorian!"

Brian was almost frozen in place, he did his best to make it clear he had no ill intentions with her. Lisa said, "of course not, you know me Eric, I wouldn't let anyone take advantage of anyone else."

"Bullshit," Eric yelled, "ever since you joined the Wards you've been manipulating everyone around you. Your team got caught because of you, and you sold them out just to have better probation standards."

Brian and Alec turned their heads at her.

Before Lisa could defend herself, Eric said, "your whole world revolves around manipulating everyone, playing games with people's heads, and messing with people's lives because you're just a goddamn criminal!"

Lisa's head cocked back. Eric was always known as the quiet one in New Wave, anger was out of character for him. This outburst struck her as a surprise. "Eric," she said trying to calm him, "you're not _listening_ to me, I had nothing to do with this, Alec was just-"

"shush," Alec murmured, referring to the fact that none them knew _he'd_ spike teh drinks.

The five of them stared at Alec. "Alec what?" Brian asked in suspicion.

"Uh, Alec wasn't trying to take advantage of Crystal, he was just taking advantage of the night. He doesn't worry about consequences like we do, this wasn't some manipulative master plan of his to…" She couldn't finish the sentence.

Amy gave off a sarcastic chuckle, "yeah right, Lisa just told me this was all his idea, not Carlos. Good to know you're willing to defend a fucking rapist."

Lisa finally snapped at her, "will you get off my fucking case!"

"Enough," Gallant cut in, "look, Amy, we have a problem here. The other guys aren't here right now, but Crystal is. Can you detox her now, and then we'll find everyone else to fix this? We can deal with who to blame later."

Amy glared at Lisa, "fine."

Lisa gulped. By the end of the night, either the Undersiders or New Wave would never trust her again.


	10. Chapter 10

**Two Days before Homecoming**

Lisa downed her smoothie to quickly, "agh!"

Brainfreeze. Eric said, "that was oddly entertaining."

"Shut up," she rubbed at her forehead, "you know I have a sweet tooth for sugar."

"I did not know that, and that would also explain why you invited me here."

She wagged her finger at him, "nope, you invited me here." Lisa pointed a thumb to the paparazzi outside the ice cream store window. "And if anyone asks, you were a gentleman and paid for everything here."

Eric blinked at her, "oh my God, you're going to make me pay for this."

She winked happily at him. Eric said, "you literally could've asked that, you didn't even have to set me up."

"Then it wouldn't be evil."

"Your principles are all over the place." Eric looked at the wall, pretending to read the menu while not facing Lisa. It was plainly obvious what he was doing. While Lisa had long stopped caring about hidden reporters following them whenever they'd hung out together, Eric was always on guard. Doing his best to look the part he needed to.

"You'd rather hide in your home than hang out with me," Lisa said in a plain tone. Her powers could've told her that, but she didn't need a confirmation in this case.

"It's not that," Eric murmured. "This always happens. I make a friend, someone tries to make me look bad, and then I lose that friend."

Lisa folded a paper airplane with a napkin, and tossed it at Eric's forehead so he'd turn toward her. "I'm different, dunce. I know what you're going through, I see through the BS because I'm wicked smart. Don't shut me away just because you think you know how things are gonna end."

Eric's mouth scrunched, "you know that's cheating, right? You using your powers to figure things out. What would you do if you had no powers?"

Lisa had a session on that topic with Jessica Yamada once, a conversation she'd swiftly like to forget about. "It doesn't matter. I'm stuck with this, might as well use it."

"That's not healthy," Eric commented. "My mom tries to drill that into us, parahumans are more than just their powers."

"That why you dyed your hair?"

"Something like that. Haven't you ever thought about what life would be like if you just never had powers?"

The thought actually scared Lisa a bit. She'd revolved her identity around her abilities so much, that the thought of being a normal teenager actually scared her. "I'd rather not, to be honest. That's wish fulfillment. We're here now as the way we are now, there's no point in thinking about if things were different."

"I guess," Eric conceded. "I just wish I didn't always have to pretend to be something all the time." Eric tilted his chin toward the window, teenagers casually took photos of them both inside the store, like they were zoo animals up for display.

Lisa shrugged, "You know you can still retire, right? Or at the very least take a vacation from being a hero to center yourself."

"No I can't."

"Yeah you can," Lisa rolled her eyes. "All you have to do is tell your parents you want to take a break for your own mental health, and they'd both say yes. They both know that the stresses of heroing has its tolls, and they both care enough to okay you going on break if it also means you being better fit for duty later."

"The world would hate me for not doing my part."

Lisa flung her hand in the air, "forget about the world of a minute. If you upsetting a few people meant you could perform better, isn't that worth it? Something you don't even realize is that the public actually really likes you, and they won't blame you if crime happens in the city and you're not there to stop it. We live in a world of heroes and villains, those problems aren't squarely on your own shoulders."

Eric turned his head at Lisa, "you're really a smartass, you know that?"

Lisa grinned, "something to be proud of."

Eric said, "it really isn't bad enough for me to need a vacation… Yet. Truth is, I get breaks every once in awhile. Me and Crystal have curfews for exactly that reason, to wind down so that we're not overwhelmed. There are also a few things that we can look forward, like homecoming this week."

Lisa nodded, "yup. I've never gone to those, but I know what it's like to forward to that."

"You've never gone to homecoming?"

Lisa shook her head, "thing is, even if I didn't trigger I wouldn't have liked to go. My friends at the time treated it more like a contractual obligation to being popular. It was kinda like a pecking order. I don't even think any of us actually liked each other by the time it was coming around. None of them cared about enjoying themselves, and I only planned on going because I still wanted to be counted as their friends."

"That… Honestly really sucks."

"Yeah," Lisa stirred her straw, "thing is, I understand what you're going through. Revolving life around your social standing, but I really don't like how far you guys take it. It reminds me of…" _Reggie._ "Some people I used to know, who became worse off because of it."

Eric let out a deep exasperated sigh, "I like talking like this."

"Ditto."

Eric starred up, "wait, did any of us actually invite you to homecoming?"

"I didn't get an invite, no. I'm not friends with everyone like you are, and Amy still hates me for… You know."

Eric frowned at her. "Do… You want to go for this one?"

Lisa hesitated for a bit. She knew that they're little 'event' was more for a Ward leisure opportunity, but it didn't take away from the fact that she was willfully unprepared to be force in a social setting with all the other Wards at once. "Of course not," she said putting on a fake smile, "it's not my cup of tea. I have better things to do than deal with high school melodrama."

"Like what?"

"Work."

"Work?"

"Yes." Eric looked at her for a moment, skeptical of her excuse. He knew Lisa liked to put herself high above the rest of the Ward members, but this time she was taking it a bit too far. Lisa grumbled, "I just don't' want to go, okay?"

Eric said, "you're a scrub, you know that?"

"Screw you." Eric looked to the side, avoiding eye contact. Lisa sighed, "do you want to ask me out?"

Eric almost blushed from embarassment. "Nope."

"I meant ask me to homecoming platonically, not to go out like a girlfriend."

Eric's mouth scrunched, "it's just, I think that you _should_ go. You're part of the Wards now and you've told me you have issues connecting with all of them. Wouldn't a place like homecoming be the best place to do that?"

Lisa's mouth twitched. "Listen, my issue with the rest of the Wards goes a bit beyond… Me. They genuinely don't like me, and me spending more time with them might drive the wedge further."

It was a lie. In truth, she was afraid of getting too close. The to same way she thought of the Undersiders more like teammates than friends, she didn't want to become attached to anyone she might lose someday.

Eric said, "but if I asked you to go, would you say no?"

Lisa's mouth shrunk. Although he believed Lisa believed in her own words, he didn't believe she would create a wedge between herself and others. Her powers elaborated:

 _Wants me to befriend my teammates_

Noble intentions, intentions that Lisa didn't want to be a part of. "I wouldn't say no, if you asked me to…"

"Would you never talk to me if I asked you to homecoming with me?"

Lisa's pouted, this was the moment of truth. If she said yes, he wouldn't invite her. If she said no, he would invite her. It all came down to what she really wanted. A thought passed by, _Brian and Crystal would be there._ With a sly smile, she said, "no…" opening herself to an invitation.

"Great," Eric said, "Lisa, do you want to come to homecoming with me?"

Lisa pretended to resist. She took a deep sip from her smoothie's straw, and drank it so fast that she purposely induced brain freeze on herself. Lisa clutched at her hair in pain and said, "yes!" As the coldness rushed to her her head.

"You're tough as manicured nails," Eric commented.

"Don't get too proud," Lisa said in pain, "you didn't actually convince me anything, this is obviously part of my master ploy to take down the Wards."

It was a sarcastic statement, but it was also a statement Eric wouldn't soon forget.


	11. Chapter 11

**Present**

"In retrospect," Lisa whispered, "this was _not_ the master plan I had in mind. I literally brought a mix tape for for them both."

"I don't even want to hear it," Eric whispered back.

"It's actually pretty good," Lisa said, genuinely proud of her own tape.

The whole group walked together towards the rooftop. Crystal and Brian lead the group ahead of everyone. Victoria, Amy, Alec and Gallant followed behind them. Eric and Lisa were furthest behind all of them.

"It's not my fault," Lisa said quietly.

Eric only growled, not even bothering to hide his voice. "My sister has never drank before. _Your_ _friend,_ messed with her in more ways than one. You seriously telling me wasn't trying anything with her?"

"Alec wouldn't have done anything," Lisa lied.

"Yeah right, this is the last time I trust a villain."

"I'm really sorry," Lisa yelled in a whispered tone, "but it's really not my fault."

"If it's not your fault, then what are you apologizing for?"

"I'm sorry you feel this way?"

Eric flung his arms in the air, "are you frigging serious!?"

Alec called back, "are you two gonna kiss, or what?"

The whole group of heroes turned to him and yelled, "shut up Alec!"

Crystal strided forward with her fists clenched. Sober, Crystal tried her best to forget all the stupid things she'd said to Alec and Brian.

Brian glanced over at Crystal. The resentment was justified. She revolved her whole lifestyle around her reputation, not too unlike how Brian did back when he was a villain. Alec, a former villain who was a Ward strictly by chance, just risked the whole world coming down on her for the sake of a crude joke.

Brian wouldn't even bother trying to defend him. Gallant, disturbed by Crystal's aura, tried to reassure her. "Crystal, as soon as we get everyone back, you'll get to decide whether to report Alec."

"Like I fucking wouldn't," Crystal snapped at him.

Brian stayed quiet, Lisa called from behind, "I hope that doesn't include me!"

"And why wouldn't it?" Eric said with glare.

Brian felt more and more out of place. Like his old teammates were isolated from him. He couldn't risk defending either of them due to his own personal circumstances. Instead, Brian decided to touch base with Crystal. He said to her, "my sister caught me smoking once."

Crystal glanced over at him. Brian let out a deep sigh, "I had a bad day, a guy at work was giving me a bad time. I thought I needed a break, and a cigarette seemed like he fastest way to do it."

Brian pointed his thumb back at Eric, "my sister kicked the crap out of me, the same way Eric almost did with Alec."

Alec smirked, and even Eric let out a chuckle. Brian said, "thing is, I found out something important that day. As bad as drugs are for the body, sometimes the social consequences outweigh the physical ones. Thanks to that mistake, I really hurt my image with my sister. What happened here? It wasn't your fault, and no one here thinks less of you for that."

Crystal turned her head back to the rest, they all nodded their heads in agreement. Brian said, "as mad as you are to Alec, you can at least sleep easy knowing that this won't impact your reputation in any way."

Crystal stayed quiet. After a moment of thought, her shoulders relaxed. Brian was right, she was so focused on what _could_ have gone wrong, she didn't stop to think that no long term repercussions would actually come out from it.

Gallant smiled, glad to see her aura was calming. Lisa elbowed at Eric and whispered, "see? I told you they could relate."

"Shut up," Eric whispered back, "I'm still mad at you."

"Why are you mad at me?" Lisa whispered in a low pitched tone, "I didn't do anything!"

Eric whispered back, "you are still indirectly responsible for this!"

"Indirectly?" Lisa gestured hard, "I can't control other people, I can't tell him what to do!"

They were still at the back of the group, and their whispers grew angrier as the group became quieter.

Eric murmured aloud, "your team, your fault!"

"He's not my frigging brother," Lisa groaned quietly, "what am I? His frigging mom?"

"You're supposed to be smart, you should've seen this from a mile away!"

The whole group was paying closer attention to them. It was like watching a lover's quarrel.

"How many times do I have to repeat myself? I. Cannot. Read. Minds."

Eric scoffed, "Yeah, I can tell. If you could, you'd know what I was thinking right now."

Lisa's mouth scrunched. "You're overreacting, you shouldn't-"

Victoria quickly called back, "use 'I', not 'you'!"

Lisa glared towards her, like their relationship was none of her business. Gallant elbowed at Victoria, warning her not to get involved. A this point, all the other teenagers found entertainment through their fruitless arguing.

"Look," Lisa grumbled, "I am trying to apologize-"

"Just stop talking, how about you apologize like that?"

Lisa squinted at him. "Fine," she whispered in defeat.

"Fine," Eric further emphasized. They both crossed their arms, and looked away from each other to avoid eye contact.

By the time their argument was over, the rest of the teammates were just staring at them, curious as to where the banter would go. When Eric and Lisa realized they were being watched for amusement, Alec said, "so how long have you both been married?"

"Shut up Alec!" This time only Eric and Lisa said it. The others were more amused than upset at this point.


End file.
